"The Sikh high priests should stop taking politically motivated steps. If they are really men of god, they should fearlessly condemn all acts of extremism and excommunicate such individuals from the panth."

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December 16, 2013

ISSUE DATE: June 15, 1985

UPDATED: March 18, 2014 12:46 IST

Unexplained Madness

Congratulations for your cover story 'Return of Terrorism' (May 31). You have taught millions of Indians how simple it is to be a terrorist. All we need do is follow B.K. Sharma's diagram of the anatomy of a bomb. No doubt more sophisticated technology can be obtained from any college or library. But it is still indiscreet for a magazine of your standing to publish it. I wish that in these times of crisis your editorial staff will exercise some discretion.SecunderbadJ. Franklin

The cover story makes compelling reading. It is sad to know that a few individuals, divorced of reason, are perpetrating such heinous crimes in the name of religion. Sadder is the fact that the Sikh high priests, who did not take much time in declaring the President and Union Minister Buta Singh as "non-Sikhs" have not even condemned the terrorists.

The Sikh high priests should stop taking politically motivated steps. If they are really men of god, they should fearlessly condemn all acts of extremism and excommunicate such individuals from the panth. This step would go a long way to stem the rising tide of Sikh extremism and solve the Punjab problem. At the same time the Government should also take strong steps to safeguard the life and property of citizens.ChandigarhGurpratap Singh Virk

Now we find a fresh change in the general Sikh outlook. Many Sikh intellectuals, leaders and others have clearly and unequivocally disassociated themselves from these terrorists and are even questioning their right to be called true Sikhs. Even Sikhs who till now covertly sided with terrorist activities have started to voice their concern, and non-Sikhs too do not any longer attribute the acts of a handful of terrorists to the entire community. This feeling, though belated, is a healthy sign and a good omen for solving the Punjab crisis.ChandigarhRavikant

The series of bomb explosions in north India is an obvious attempt by extremists to spread hatred among two communities. A small group of terrorists must not be allowed to spread a reign of terror and hold the entire country to ransom. The Government must not bow down to threats from hardliners who are dominating the affairs of the Akali Dal. The introduction of the Anti-Terrorist Bill is welcome and it is hoped that terrorists will now be dealt with more effectively.JaipurV. Bala Krishnan

Eye-Opener

Your article "Trading in Blood" (May 31), will serve as an eye-opener for those who are not familiar with the avoidable hazards of blood transfusion. A stoppage to these malpractices is essential for restricting the diseased blood from going into the veins of sick people. One fails to understand why we are so indifferent in implementing the recommendations of the who and other international agencies.Silchar, AssamDr Sundar Lal Patoa

Reservation Debate

I am shocked by the perverted logic of Gujarat Chief Minister Madhavsinh Solanki ('I'm confident I'll stay on', May 15) when he argues: "What about the non-reserved students who go off to Karnataka and get admissions in private colleges by paying huge capitation fees and then come back as doctors with very low marks? Is their merit ever doubted?

There is no point in defending such students. Certainly they are doing wrong. Does Mr Solanki want to justify an evil by citing the example of another evil?AhmedabadRatilal Thakkar

The assumption that the agitation in Gujarat is totally pointless with regard to the amount of unfilled seats in the reserved quota in both engineering and medical colleges is totally illogical and profoundly astonishing. Perhaps your correspondent could explain how the Government could, in the first place, increase the quota of reservation without considering the basic law of supply and demand. When the Government does not have the vision to do so, how can we expect the agitators to look at the number of unfilled seats in the reserved quota for professional courses?MysoreB.K. Kumar

Unfair Report

Your report "Tarnished Image" (May 31) was an eye-opener and gave us a real insight into the Shah Government's corrupt practices. Every day we learn more of the growing discrimination and malpractices that this puppet government has resorted to. I am sorry to say that G.M. Shah has drawn a blank even in controlling the law and order situation, the springboard which catapulted him to the chief ministership last year. Clamping of curfew in Srinagar city is a normal occurrence and people have begun to live with the police harassment and baton charges. It is time to think about whether the Shah Government has a moral right, let along a legal right, to run this sensitive state.SrinagarSandeep Chowdhry

Guns And Goons

The law and order situation in Bombay may be depressing (Crackdown in Bombay, May 15) but thank God that for every Varadarajan Mudaliar, Yusuf Patel, Vasantrao Patil and Haji Mastan on that side, the Bombayite has a Julio Ribeiro, Yadunath Pawar, G.R. Khairnar and Arun Bhatia on this side.BombayJayesh B. Mehta

Booming Banks

Apropos of your report ('Banking on a Boom', May 15) the complacency of the Government as well as the rbi is beyond comprehension. The only remedy is to amend the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, in a suitable manner so as to prevent vested interests from taking advantage of semantic quibbles.Bassein, MaharashtraPrabhakaran N.

Chaotic System

Your Comment (Misusing the Army, May 15) is well made. I do not see the problem as a failure of the police to cope with the situation, but as the failure of the governments to keep the police force in a good mood. Policemen are ill-paid, made to work in a hostile atmosphere, and exposed to excessive political interference. Until policemen are freed from these shackles, they will be no better than ordinary people.

In an atmosphere of escalating violence all over the country, we need a police force that can withstand the pressures from both the rulers and the people. We have a tendency to make them the scapegoats for all failures. Unless we treat them as human beings, as part of society and give them their due share by way of better working conditions and pay, they will continue to fail to meet crises. And that will see to it that the army will have to be called in every time. BelgaumGanapayyab.

Disputed Deed

This is with reference to your report on Shaw Wallace ('The Acquisition Enigma', May 15). It has been suggested that I elicited the aid of a south Indian businessman, G. Venkateswaran and his investment companies and also that when the Income Tax Department seized the transfer documents lodged by these investment companies, it put the Shaw Wallace management in a bit of a spot.

Mr Venkateswaran is totally unknown to the undersigned or to Shaw Wallace & Co Ltd, who brought to the notice of the Government of India the facts of these purchases and the subsequent action of the Income Tax Department in Madras. Your correspondent states that the nominees of the financial institutions were present at an "unofficial board meeting in New Delhi". No nominee of any financial institution has been present at any discussion amongst any of the directors.New DelhiS.P. Acharya(chairman,) Shaw Wallace & Co Ltd

There has been a lot of discussion with regard to the permanent residence of the prime minister. From all considerations of security, the best bet would be Teen Murti House. It is even more sheltered than Rashtrapati Bhavan, and should be made the permanent residence of the Indian prime minister for all time. After all, we cannot go on converting various residences into monuments in memory of all the leaders we love.New DelhiB.P. Nigam

Cheaper Solution

Your story ('Crippling Scourge', May 15) brings to the notice of the common man in Rajasthan the problem of fluorosis. However, several agencies in the state have already been working for over a decade in the field and have achieved considerable success.

While the Defence Laboratory Institute, (DLI) Jodhpur, boasts of its deflouridation technique costing Rs 100 for every six litres of water, the neeri, (a subsidiary of the CSM) has developed the same (Nalgonda technique) at the cost of just a few rupees a bucketful. The public health engineering department of Rajasthan has changed the water supply system and installed it afresh in several villages due to this very problem. Community defluoridation experiments were also undertaken in villages like Shivadaspur of Chaksu tehsil and Lacchipura of Nagore, but they could not achieve their goals due to the non-cooperation of villagers arising from their illiteracy.AjmerDr Shiv Chandra

The report on fluorosis makes pathetic reading especially when the proven technology of Reverse Osmosis (RO) is available locally.

The Gujarat Water Supply and Sewerage Board (GWSSB) has already embarked on a scheme to provide potable water to the rural population with the help of ro plants at a cost of about Rs 5 per 1,000 litres compared to the Rs 100 per six litres for the dli kit. The Rajasthan Government should investigate the GWSSB's scheme.BombayR.P. Desai

Fading Star

It is not a simple task to fully assess the genius of Kishore Kumar ('The Last Encore', May 15). And it is certainly not health reasons or income tax raids that have forced the singer to announce his retirement.

A genius loves healthy competition. Kishore's competition ended when Mohammad Rafi died in 1980. Besides, with composers producing such trite stuff, most of the songs Kishore has been getting are less than mediocre. Indian film music has been decaying since the mid-'70s. In this period, the more melodious songs went to Rafi because Kishore has the rare ability to raise the trashiest of tunes to a level acceptable to the masses. That was enough for the producers and composers - but not for Kishore. Not any more. And he has taken the right decision by announcing his retirement for he has etched a permanent place in the hearts of music lovers.New DelhiMukul N. Trivedi

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